Burmese opposition in exile challenge Burma's credentials at UN

Burmese opposition in exile challenge Burma's credentials at UN

Solomon
Saturday, 30 August 2008 20:09

New Delhi - In a campaign that seeks to challenge the legitimacy of the Burmese military junta's membership of the United Nations, opposition political parties in exile said they will send letters urging the UN to reconsider the junta's representation at the General Assembly.

An umbrella Burmese opposition group, the National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB), said it will send the letter to the UN in early September urging rejection of the Burmese junta's representation as a member state, since it is ruling the country illegally.




"It has already been planned and we will send the letter early next month," Myo Win, Joint General Secretary (2) of the NCUB.

"We have begun this campaign a long time ago and have been discussing with member countries from the UN," Myo Win added.

The group said, it had announced its challenge campaign since last year but wanted to wait for the junta to resolve the question of legitimacy through peaceful dialogue. But since the junta failed to implement effective political dialogue and continued with its seven-step roadmap, the group had begun the challenge campaign.

In May, the junta forced its way ahead with a 'rigged' constitutional referendum, claiming 98 percent approval by voters. The NCUB said this has forced the groups to call on the UN to review the legitimacy of the junta.

"By this campaign we hope to achieve a genuine democracy in Burma that will guarantee the rights of all ethnic groups as well," said Nyo Ohn Myint, Foreign Affairs in-charge of the National League for Democracy – Liberated Area exile, which is a member of NCUB.

The exiled political groups said, through this campaign they will explain to the international communities as well as member states of the UN about the true intentions of the junta, and prevent them from rigging the declared 2010 general elections.

"We hope this campaign will result in regional countries, who defend the junta, and the international community to come for discussions with us," said Nyo Ohn Myint.

Despite repeated calls by Burmese opposition groups to kick start a political dialogue, the junta had declared it is implementing a reform through its seven-step roadmap, which excludes major opposition groups including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD.

As the first step of its roadmap, the junta took 14 years to complete its National Convention to draft a constitution, and in May held a referendum to approve it. The junta then announced that the constitution was approved overwhelmingly. But the opposition and critics said the process of the referendum was not 'free and fair' and accused the junta of rigging it.

The NCUB said it is ready to put on hold its campaign, if the junta considers talking with detained Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic leaders in a tripartite dialogue and possibly find a solution to Burma's long political impasse.

"We are into this campaign because we want to put our country on the right political track," said Nyo Ohn Myint.

He added that the campaign will be able to put pressure on the junta, as member states of the UN including the five permanent Security Council members, have no power to veto the Credential Challenge Committee.

However, if the junta and other regional countries fail to respond, the NUCB said it will work closely with member states of the UN and challenge the credential of the Burmese junta at the UN General Assembly.

Meanwhile, Burma's opposition parties including the NLD said they are not satisfied with UN's current engagement with the generals as the UN' special envoy Ibrahim Gambari failed to convert his visits into concrete results.

He failed to meet San Suu Kyi so they want the UN to review its policy on Burma.

Nang Yain, General Secretary of Women's League of Burma (WLB), a Thailand based umbrella group of Burmese women, said it also agrees with the campaign that feels the military government does not deserve a place at the UN as it is not popularly elected by the people.

"It will be good if the campaign is successful because that is what should happen," said Nang Yain.

But the WLB was unable to join the NCUB as they are focusing on bringing the Burmese generals to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.